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As “A Sky Full of Stars� from the animated movie “Sing 2� blared through the classroom speakers, Gabe Stearns didn’t miss a beat.

He instantly took his spot at the front of the music room and broke out his best dance moves. A shimmy here, a fist pump there.

The sophomore at Lincoln East High School saves his best moves, though, for his all-time favorite song: Cupid’s classic “Cupid Shuffle.� That’s when things get serious.

Stearns simply loves music. He loves dancing, too, which is why he joined the unified music course at East. There, he’s in his element. He doesn’t have to be afraid to let loose and can sing to his heart’s content. He can be himself and appreciate music alongside dozens of his fellow classmates who are there for the same reason, to sing and dance.

Stearns is one of hundreds of students across Lincoln Public Schools to participate in the growing number of unified programs, which allow both students like him who are enrolled in special education and those in general education to come together in an inclusive environment to learn and appreciate shared interests.

“It’s a place where everyone belongs,� said Carrie Foster, a special education coordinator at the district who oversees all unified programs.

LPS now has dozens of unified activities available to students at middle and high schools across the district, and that number is on the rise, Foster said.

Unified programs have been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years, and many schools within the district are continuing to look for ways to add even more opportunities that cater to a variety of students’ interests.

Around 10 years ago, only a few high schools in the district had unified activities. It started by implementing unified sports, like bowling and swimming. Now, all eight high schools — and several middle schools — have at least a few unified opportunities available.

“I think schools have just seen how it makes a really inclusive culture in their buildings,� Foster said. “It’s really a beautiful thing.�

The growth of unified programs hasn’t just been seen in Lincoln, however. It’s happening statewide, too, according to Nathaniel Parks, the vice president of programs at Special Olympics Nebraska.

Not everyone has an interest in sports, and the organization, which has a primary focus on unified athletics, recognizes that. In the past few years, there has been an increased push to expand the unified activities offered in an effort to have something available for everybody.

Now, schools are creating unified programs for anything and everything. From unified theater to P.E. to art to book club, the opportunities seem to be endless, Parks said.

And the growth isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon, either.

Special Olympics Nebraska is actively working with the Nebraska School Activities Association to continue expanding the options available to all Nebraska students. The current goal is to have unified speech available by the spring season this year, although nothing is official yet, Parks said.

Additionally, a partnership between LPS and Special Olympics is in the works to create a systemwide approach to expand unified programs across the district.

“We're really excited about the future of what's going to happen in Lincoln,� Parks said.

At Lincoln Southwest, unified activities have become something of a priority to the school, said Brandi Benson, who teaches unified journalism and yearbook there. In the last eight or so years, Southwest has formed 13 unified programs, including choir, walking club, cheerleading, mass media and yearbook.

Southwest, alongside Lincoln Southeast, is one of Lincoln’s Unified Champion Schools, which is a national honor awarded by Special Olympics to recognize schools that are leaders in promoting inclusivity.

Last spring, Southwest’s unified yearbook class was awarded the highly competitive Innovation Pacemaker Award for its work in providing an inclusive opportunity for all students. Benson said that, to her knowledge, Southwest is one of the only schools in the nation to sponsor a unified yearbook course.

But even with 13 programs, Benson said Southwest is just scratching the surface of what can be done to create a truly inclusive environment for students. There are still plenty of activities and courses at the school that can be turned into unified programs — she’s currently working to help create a unified culinary class — but in an ideal world, everything would be unified, she said.

“I don’t think that this is something that is (just) in vogue right now, and is going to simmer or go away. This is the way that we're going, and it's just going to get bigger and bigger,� Benson said.

“Every single student deserves a place where they belong. Every single student deserves a classroom they belong in. They deserve a club, they deserve an activity, they deserve a sport. And so I think creating those spaces is kind of just a no-brainer,� she added.

Unified programs can have a big impact on everyone involved, said Mike Wiese, a special education teacher at East. Students in both special and general education can learn social skills, enhance their abilities to communicate with others and get out of their comfort zones.

Wiese said this impact can be seen everywhere — in the smiles on students' faces during class, in the friendships students make that extend outside of school and in parents' gratitude for the inclusive opportunities their students now have.

There are even a handful of students in general education who aren’t actually enrolled in unified courses but still come to class each day over their lunch breaks because they enjoy it so much.

“That's the part where it's just all worth it,� he said.

Grant Strong, a senior at East, said his time in unified programs has been life-changing.

He first started participating in unified activities when he was in the third grade and spent the last few years in unified P.E. before joining unified music this year, too.

“I just grew a heart for it, and it's become my passion,� he said.

Through these experiences, Strong has built relationships with students he might have never met without unified opportunities, and has met some of his best friends along the way.

Now, Strong is applying to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with the hopes of someday becoming a special education teacher himself so he can carry his love for helping others into his future career.

“It's just been a great, great opportunity, just being able to watch (everyone) thrive and sing their hearts out and dance in front of the room, just having a party pretty much every day,� he said. “It's been one of the greatest gifts to me.�